Category: wellness

My mind is a bit scattered this week–but not in a bad way. I think in the past when I’ve felt unfocused it’s meant that I get less done. Lately though, I’ve been trying hard to employ a “just do it” attitude by eliminating the bullshit and making the best use of my time that I can. Sometimes that literally means shutting things down and going to bed early because an extra hour of sleep will be a lot more valuable to me than staring blankly at my Mac at the end of the night!

Earlier this week I was struggling putting a post together. Instead of banging my head against the wall, I tried working on some other writing projects that won’t be shared on the blog. Bingo! The creative juices were flowing like whoa. I’ve gotten so hooked on the instant gratification of blogging and sharing that I’ve worried about the lack of energy I might have for other work. In the past few days I’ve learned that the energy for each will come—I’ve just got to direct it in the right place as it does.

In the spirit of meeting myself where I’m at, and in lieu of expounding upon one or a few cohesive ideas, I bring you some quick and perhaps incomplete thoughts that have been running through my brain these first few days of March. There may be more of this type of post in the future. It feels like a good way to keep my writing gene loose without expending all of my energy. Plus, I get to stay connected with you all and get to hear what’s on your mind. Please do tell in the comments!

I’m very grateful I’m married to someone who isn’t afraid of silence. I think my hubs and I have at least one meal a week that ends up being eaten in almost complete silence. I love that. I’ve been around a few people lately that are noticeably uncomfortable when there is nothing to say. Rather than sitting in this discomfort they tend to make awkward small talk. No thanks! The world is full of noise–in my opinion, we don’t always need to contribute to it.

March Madness BABY!! Many of you know I am a hoops FAN(ATIC), so it’s no surprise that I’m super geeked that Selection Sunday is this Sunday. This month started out extra awesome because they held the Big Ten tourney a week earlier than normal. And…WE WON! Go Blue! Wolverines baby! I am super excited that we’ve now been Big Ten Champs two years in a row. While it’s an awesome accomplishment, I am also hoping that these guys have some luck and have a great run in the tourney this year. My hubs has already made a declaration that despite the outrageously prohibitive costs, we are going to San Antonio if Michigan makes it to the Final Four. Fingers crossed! Still–regardless of how my team does, this is always one of my favorite times of the year. The first four days where there’s just basketball on from 12 noon to midnight–it’s what I live for. The last second shots, the upsets, the emotion of seeing kids on the court for the last collegiate game they’ll ever play. OMG. I love it.

I’ve found a third love in strength training. I’ve been hardcore into running and yoga for years but strength training is newer. I had dabbled in lifting weights for most of my adult life–mostly putzing around with selectorized machines in hopes that I would slim a specific body part (those hip abductor machines are never empty at those college gyms!). The past few years has been the beginning of putting a true emphasis on strength training. I finally conceded that it was absolutely necessary in order for me to run without injury. While for a time there I found it to be this boring but vital chore, I’ve now grown completely in love with it and with the idea of building muscle and getting stronger. The other day I told my hubs that I now care about strength training as much as I care about running and yoga. It surprised me when it came out of my mouth but it’s really true. It’s really a practice–just like my other disciplines–and I get excited every day when I realize how much there is to learn. Case in point: I saw a girl doing all these amazing exercises with kettlebells the other day and now I’ve been googling and watching YouTube videos on them excessively. I was a bit intimidated by them in the past and sort of always had them on the–“I’ll try working with those someday” list. Then all the sudden on Tuesday after seeing this girl, I’m game. I tried a few basic moves in my workout this morning–it was a blast!

I don’t know how I ever lived without a humidifier! I bought a humidifier on a whim about a month ago when I was sick. I had a terrible sore throat which was being exacerbated by the fact that my nose was so stuffed that I could only breathe through my mouth. I thought if the air was a little less dry, breathing would be a little less painful. After only about 6-7 hours of using the humidifier I no longer had to breathe through my mouth–I could blow my nose and take in air through my nostrils. I’ve continued to use the machine since I’ve been sick and it’s had two drastic effects on my health. First, my skin is considerably less dry. I was having the worst winter skin I’ve ever had this year and really struggling to find a moisturizer that was heavy enough but didn’t make my skin feel gross. Turns out a little humidity was all I needed! I’ve also almost completely solved my itchy eye problem which at times was feeling pretty out of control. Now that I’ve done some googling I’ve found that a humidifier is one of the top suggestions for these two problems. Why didn’t you guys tell me?

I kind of love that our weather has been really crappy lately. Don’t get me wrong– I want the cold and the snow and the SLUSH to stop very soon…but Spring is coming, I know it! I kind of feel like these last few weeks are like the last few miles of a marathon. They suck, but we’ve just got to give them the best that we’ve got and know that that glory and wonder is waiting for us on the other side. I think one of my favorite things about warm weather is how light my life is in it. A swimsuit and a dress and a pair of sandals and I can go from yoga to work and then out to dinner for the evening. I’m so over the boots and the puffer coat! If you’ve been a little low lately with some seasonal depression–hang in there! I hear the birds and I see the sun. Happy Spring is coming!